Does resident–tourist value co-creation matter in promoting tourists’ environmentally responsible behaviour? The chain mediation role of perceived value and destination identification

Abstract

Since tourists' environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB) has a profound impact on the overall sustainable development of a tourism destination, this research aims to examine the underlying mechanism between resident–tourist value co-creation (RVC) and ERB of tourists based on Social Exchange Theory and Stimulus-Organism-Response theory. Data were collected from 508 tourists who have visited Xijiang Miao Village within the past 3 years. PLS-SEM was adopted to test the path model. The results revealed that: (1) RVC has a positive relationship with ERB, (2) perceived value and destination identification (DI) act as mediators in the relationship between RVC and ERB, and (3) RVC indirectly influences ERB through the sequential mediation of perceived value and DI. Considering these findings, this study made achievable suggestions for tourism operators to guarantee destination sustainable development.